Party of Two
by Fallen Ark Angel
Summary: Paul and Steph celebrate her birthday by going to a concert...of one of his favorite bands...but no, for real, she had a good time. - One-shot.


Steph was weirdly excited, honestly, in a way that she wouldn't be typically over the whole thing.

It wasn't as if she and Paul didn't go to concerts all the time, in years past. Motorhead especially. But something just felt...different, this time. It probably had a lot to do, honestly, with the fact that they hadn't really had a chance recently to go out on their own and do couple-ish things. She'd only had her second child a little under two months ago, leaving the time that they had away from work spent with little else other than dealing with their babies.

Better even, Paul was going to have to miss her birthday, which would be in three days, and it would serve as their date for that. Smackdown was being taped the day before, leaving them separated on the day and, even though she told him they could just celebrate it when they had the chance, Paul, he didn't wanna do that. He wanted her to have a special time. Which was why it was so serendipitous that Motorhead was play so close by in New York.

Part of him felt, of course, that she'd see this more as him wanting to go and using her birthday as an excuse, but Paul was pleasantly surprised to find that his wife was actually more pumped than him. She would always insist to him that she was very into metal (he had his doubts) and would frequent any cocert that he took her to, as well as listen to anything he enjoyed, but it was a bit different, phrasing it as her birthday present.

And maybe if they had more normal jobs, where one wasn't gone all the time, she would have felt differently about a concert being her present, but given how busy their lives were and the fact that, even at home, they were caught up so frequently with their newborn and toddler, it was a welcomed escape.

Aurora, however, was not very thrilled with the idea of them going. In her defense, the past few months hadn't been great for her. It was a big adjustment, having another child in the house, and it wasn't easy. A lot of the time that used to go to her by default was being shifted more onto her new baby sister. The only good thing was that Mommy wasn't working as much, but Daddy still was and now, on a Sunday, when he usually would spend the few hours he could with her before leaving for a show, he was going to be gone the whole night. It sucked. And she was a bit of a crybaby about it.

You know, until she found out that she found out that her granny, Paul's mother, was in town and was babysitting. She was pretty much fine with him going off then.

That was one thing about toddlers. No one threw tantrums worst than them, but no one was as easily distracted either.

Steph felt a bit bad about leaving their baby, Murphy, however. Paul, who left her weekly to go out on his jobs, didn't feel nearly as bad and just snuggled and stroked her soft blonde hair a bit before leaving the house. He would be heading out early the next morning, for Ohio, to the arena for Smackdown, and probably wouldn't get a chance to see either of his girls again, so Aurora got tons of snuggles too, even though she was a bit over him then and far more interested in introducing her grandmother to all of the new toys she'd gotten since they'd last seen one another (to avoid her getting jealous of her new sibling, Grandpa Vince had been far too generous recently).

The car ride down to New York was the best, too. It was only a little over two hours which, for two people that spent the past decade (and then some for him) on the road, that was hardly a blink of the eye. Still, Steph was all pumped up and Paul liked watching her excited. They'd spent much of their time together recently being stressed and tired and in that kind of miserable state of mind (he loved his baby, both of them, but he was a great enough parent to admit that those first few months were rather hellish), so it was nice to just get away from it all.

Stephanie talked the whole time though, which was fine, as he like hearing her talk too. Basically, Paul just liked Steph. Shocking. He'd spent the last day in the gym though and missed out on all of the wonderful things their daughters had done, which meant he needed to be filled in. Such as Murphy blinking. And smiling. And Aurora's typical antics.

Even if they were rather trivial things, Paul did kind of enjoy hearing about them. He did miss a lot that Steph probably took for granted. The same things, no doubt, that he'd probably take just as for granted if he got to do them all the time.

"How about this," he suggested to her as they drove alone, "the next one, I stay at home for a few months."

"Oh, yeah, sure."

"And you go out and wrestle."

He got a look. "Sounds like a plan. There is one thing though."

"You doubtin' my ability to care for three kids all on my own?"

"No," she drawled out slowly. "More, where is this third baby going to be coming from?"

"I'm thinkin' out of you, babe."

That got a rather girlish giggles from Steph, which was his goal, it was always his goal.

"Is that what you're thinking?" she said around them.

"That's what I'm thinking."

"Well, I'm thinking that we should probably let things settle a bit with our new baby-"

"She ain't new no more. Two months?" Paul snorted. "Hardly new. Practically old."

"What would that make you then? I mean, is there a word stronger for ancient?"

"We could squeeze another one into you-"

"That sounds so gross. Don't say that again."

"-any day now and be ready for it."

Still, he got some of that strong eye game that Steph was so great at before the woman said simply, "Yeah, I really don't want to though, and I'm pretty sure I'm the most important person in this equation."

"You're the most important person to every single one of my equations." Still, he added, "But you're probably right."

"Probably."

"I say we give it, what? Another year? Or so? And then revisit?"

"Revisit, maybe, but a year-"

"A year it is then."

But Steph giggled again and it was all light. Everything felt light. There was no worrying about Aurora getting into things (she got into everything) and there were no worries that they were being too loud and therefore disturbing Murphy (everything disturbed her).

They were just able to...be again, for the first time in a long time.

And the concert was hardcore too. Paul was introducing the band before it, which meant he and Steph got to stand on the side of the stage during it and it was just… Shit, he hadn't had that good of a time in a long time. He knew he probably shouldn't say that, considering that he sort of just had a new baby, and it wasn't as if it eclipsed that in anyways, but that was just more emotional. And yeah, Unforgiven, which was only two weeks ago, had been great too, but it was just work.

Nope. That concert was the best time he'd had in months. Steph, as she was in most things in his life, was the cherry on top of a perfect evening and fuck, he wanted to get her out of that far too short skirt as soon as possible.

Watching her have a good time immediately skyrocketed whatever he was having by, like, a billion.

Damn, Steph was fine as fuck always, but watching her head bang and when she high-fived the drummer, Mikkey Dee, during the set he about just… Fuck.

Paul just loved his wife. That was probably the reasoning behind most of his feelings, not that it mattered, because he'd feel it regardless of the reason, but man, Stephanie was just…

There was a reason he married her. Definitely a reason.

He went back up on stage, Paul did, at the end, and took a bow with the band and that was great and awesome and man, he was so glad that they'd decided to go. He really was. Even though Steph made the night, he'd have gone even without her. It was a gnarly evening all around.

It wasn't over yet though. Paul took Steph to eat, of course, afterward, for her birthday. They were both hyped from the concert and Stephanie talked probably far too much, but for a guy like Paul who mostly liked to just listen to his woman, only contributing when needed, that worked perfectly.

Neither drank though, him because he wasn't big on that, ever, and Steph because she was, of course, still breastfeeding and didn't chance stuff like that, but they had a nice dinner anyways. Him being so adverse to alcohol, Steph rarely drank around him anyways.

Eventually they both calmed down again, about the time they were driving back home that night. Paul drove again as Steph mostly sat on her phone, glancing over all the texts and emails she'd been ignoring for the past few hours, though her mouth was still moving regardless as the two tried to jam as much conversation between one another as they possibly could, in the time they had left.

Wrestling had been his life since he first began in the lower circuits, but it had slowly taken a backdoor to his family. Got in the way of his real life, perhaps, was a better way of putting it. But everyone had to work and his kids would be better for it, what he could provide for them, and he always made sure to make up whatever time he was away. He and Aurora spent every single second together that he wasn't training or working. They went to the park or walked the dog or he played whatever silly two year old contrived games his little baby came up with.

And he'd do the same with Murphy, when she got bigger. Even in the current, he got up with her in the night and helped Steph out with everything (literally everything, he was that committed to his baby), as well as spent a lot of his free days with Murphy sleeping on his chest while he laid on the floor,, watching Rora play.

It felt like a hard balance at times, sure, but he was nearly certain no one could do it all as well as him.

"Your neck killin' ya, babe?" Paul snickered when he saw Steph, more than once, reach up to rub at it. "Already?"

"A bit, yeah," she giggled, glancing up from her cell and over at him. "I get pretty into things, I guess."

"You guess?"

"I guess."

"Well, I know." He grinned over at her before glancing back at the road. "You have a good birthday then, princess?"

It had been a bit since he called her that and made Steph scrunch up her lips at him, making a face. Still, after a snicker, she said, "Definitely."

"Good." Paul reached over with one hand, resting it on her leg, before adding, "I did too."

Aurora was asleep when they got home, but Murphy was up and crying over mostly nothing. Missing her mother mostly, probably, as Steph got her down far easier than Paul's mother seemed to be able to. She was staying with them that night, his mother was, but Paul didn't get to spend much time with her as he had to rest up for his flight out. He wasn't going to be on RAW, but needed to be down there on Monday for any meetings. Plus, Vince had been, for some reason, pushing him towards doing 'real work' as he put it and expected him at all shows, to take care of backstage work.

It beat the off days he expected him up at the headquarters though, learning just what went into having, again, a 'real job'.

Stephanie stayed up later than him though, with his mother, out in the living room. He figured they were talking or something and thought little of it as he drifted off. It wasn't until Steph joined him in bed and his mother was presumably off in the guest room that he awoke again.

"Mmmm," Paul moaned, just a bit, as Steph slipped under the covers with him (it was a rather cold September). "You finally goin' to sleep, babe?"

"I didn't mean to wake you," followed a hush yes from his wife. "Sorry."

"My woman can wake me any time she wants." He pulled her up real close too, turning his head to press a kiss to hers. It got a giggle from Steph. "I'm probably gonna head out before you get up."

"You don't know Murphy very well, if you think that."

He grimaced before amending, "Fine. I'll be gone by the time you go back to sleep after dealing with her for a bit."

"That sounds a bit better."

"And I know we'll talk, before it gets here, but happy birthday, baby."

"You're too sweet," Steph mumbled into his neck as she cuddled into him. "Paul."

"Mmmm."

"I had so much fun tonight. Really."

"Me too."

And then, because she just couldn't help but to take some easy jabs at herself, she added, "Sorry you had to go out with someone that still looks like a freaking whale, but-"

"Don't even start, Steph." He nuzzled his head against hers before his eyes slipped shut. "You gave me a fucking boner the whole night."

"I think after two kids and holding down a job for two decades, you're supposed to grow out of saying the word boner."

"Fine. You made my penis erect." Paul peeked open an eye. "Happy?"

Not particularly. With that, anyways.

Snuggling further into him, she said, "You really gotta go to bed, babe."

"Sure, whale- I mean, Steph."

She shoved him away. "Paul-"

"You only said it to begin with so I'd ply ya full of some pleasing comments. Fish much, babe?" He pulled her closer, regardless of her trying to wiggle her way out of his arms. "You're so sexy, Steph. I'd fuck you even if you were a whale."

"The implications in that," she said as she gave in and let him nuzzle against her head once more, "are quite staggering."

"Mmmm. Love you." Her head got a kiss and then, just like that, he was releasing her. Not that it lasted for long, as Paul was only shifted around on the bed, expecting her to do the same, With her on her back, the man immediately moved to nuzzle his head against her stomach, Steph hardly pushing against it, more just resting her hand there. "Stephanie."

"Your mother-"

"Is, like, on the other side of the house."

"Still." She let out a soft breath. "We just have to be quiet."

Pushing up her shirt, he placed a kiss there before mumbling against her flesh, "I'm always quiet."

"Sure."

"Always. You on the other hand," he tsked, just a bit. "Only having your beautiful, long, sexy legs wrapped around my waist once in the last two months-"

"I did just have your baby," she pointed out.

"You did." He grinned up at her. "Still don't mean you weren't missing out though."

"And that once," she went on, "was, like, four days ago, so I'm not that deprived."

"An hour," he said as he sat back on his knees, her legs spread before him, as he reached down to tug off her little shorts she wore to bed, "without me is a deprivation in its own right."

"And an hour," Steph asked, eyes round as she stared up at him, "without me?"

"Hell, baby." He leaned down again, over her once more, to press some more kisses on her tummy. "But then, I've always been a bit devilish."

Giggling softly, she agreed, "Just a bit."

* * *

 **Randxgirl requested this one, which, obviously, was Steph and Paul at that Motorhead concert in '08. Always open for more requests, guys.**


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